Apr 18, 2011

Broccoli rabe and Italian chicken sausage are tossed with orecchiette (otherwise know as little ears because of their shape) and a whole lot of garlic! This lightened up version will not disappoint!!

Pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe is one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes. The combination of the broccoli rabe with the garlic, red pepper flakes, Parmigiano Reggiano and sausage makes my taste buds do the happy dance!! If you've never had it, step out of your comfort zone and give it a try.

Broccoli rabe otherwise known as rapini has a slightly bitter taste, but the bitterness mellows when you blanch it for just under two minutes. The photos really didn't do this dish justice, we were so hungry and the lighting was poor, that I rushed through the photos and we had no leftovers. Even my picky kids, one year old and teenager both loved this. You can use any pasta shape you like, low carb or whole wheat would also be great.

They key to this dish is finding a great tasting chicken or turkey sausage. I recommend trying a few brands, not all are equal in taste and the lean factor. I found an incredibly delicious chicken sausage with broccoli rabe at my local organic market, Wild By Nature. The flavor is outstanding, but I have had great results from Italian markets as well.

Cut broccoli rabe in quarters. Bring a large pot of water to boil. When it comes to a rolling boil, add broccoli rabe. Blanch for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, drain and set aside in a colander. Re-fill pot with water and salt for the pasta and bring back to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente.

In a large deep sauté pan, brown sausage on medium heat, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks. When completely cooked through set aside in a dish or a bowl.

Return broccoli rabe to the pan, mix well with the garlic and oil, season with salt and pepper and cook about a minute.

Return cooked sausage to the pan and mix well.

Drain pasta and add to the broccoli rabe. Reduce heat and stir for about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if using. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and toss another 30 seconds so that everything is mixed well and the pasta is coated with the sauce. Remove from heat and add to a large pasta dish or divide equally between 6 pasta bowls. Serve with additional grated cheese if you desire.

58 comments
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This looks AMAZING. I've had similar dishes at restaurants but I am sure your version is way healthier!! Stupid question- where in the grocery store do you find broccoli rabe? I can never find it at my grocery store!

How does the sausage come packaged? I've never seen chicken sausage patties like you show in the picture at my grocery store. There's all kinds of sausage in the casings though, would that work with casings removed?

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Delicious! Just made this for dinner... used pasta shells since I could not find Orecchiette. Also used Broccoli crowns instead of broccoli rabe. Came out awesome and this is definitely now one of my fav's.

as i am eating the leftovers of this for lunch today, i am thinking that even though i made it and i know the ingredients...i can't figure out what makes it so good! i swear its a restaurant quality pasta dish (and i live in ny so you know i eat a lot of good italian!) another awesome recipe...i have been living off your recipes since january - they have helped me lose the 17lbs i had gained since becoming a lifetime ww member, putting me right back under my goal! thanks gina!!

I don't know what "cook this not that" is, a cookbook I assume? but I'm sure many people have their own rendition of this dish as it is very popular. This is my way of making it, any resemblance to this is purely coincidence.

Made this tonight. Purchased some garden veggie/mushroom/asiago chicken sausage from Trader Joe's this weekend. Could NOT find broccoli rabe, so I subbed spinach instead (and I bought romano cheese instead of reggiano ;)) So basically I can't follow directions (I DID use orecchiette, so I did one thing correctly ;-)

It was *AMAZING*!!! This might be my favorite (and my family, including a picky 2.5 year old!) "Gina recipe," as we call them!!

@Emilee - Broccoli Rabe is normally in the produce section by other greens (Spinach, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Kale) or you can find it frozen@Rosie - blanching the Broccoli Rabe takes the bitterness away

I used to just grill or broil chicken sausage and toss it with roasted or steamed broccoli rabe, pasta, garlic & oil. I love that this uses broth rather than too much oil. It's even better left over.

I have not made one thing yet from your site that I did not like and I LOVE having new ideas. Thank you for taking the time to take so many pictures to go with your descriptions.

My sweetie and I made this for dinner last night. It was really tasty! We weren't able to find broccoli rabe, so we substituted hald broccolini and hald dandelion leaves (for bitterness) -- turned out great, thanks!

if you all can not find a turkey sausage you like you can make your own. it is super easy and quick. here is my favorite recipe.1 Lb. ground chicken or turkey or pork2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 Tbsp. salt1/4 Tbsp. pepper1/4 Tbsp. fennel seeds1/2 Tbsp.chopped parsely1/2 tsp. rubbed sage2/3 tsp. majoram

mix all ingredients together and lets flavors mixand marinate in the fridge 2 hours then you can use or freeze for later use.I form it in little balls, cook through in skillet, steamer or oven then keep them in the freezer to use in recipes.

Just made this and it was AMAZING. So easy and simple but exceeded our expectations for deliciousness. Added plenty of crushed red pepper :) Thank you for yet another winner!

Also had to sub broccoli and turkey sausage (availability) and also switched out the pasta for whole wheat rotini, because we much prefer the taste of whole wheat pasta and can't find it in many shapes.

So Yummy! Even my almost 3 year old ate it. He Picked out the "green stuff"! So Good and blanching the Rabe really cut back on the bitterness. I could only find full fat chicken sausage and low fat turkey so I used the turkey. Yum!

A really delicious recipe! I got prechopped broccoli rabe and blanched it for a bit longer than you called for because we like it a bit softer. I also added a touch of the chicken broth in the last few steps of combining ingredients when I felt the broccoli rabe-sausage combo was drying out. It was really tasty!